MOTHERWELL defender Simon Ramsden insists the Fir Park fans should be criticising the players rather than the manager.

Well boss Stuart McCall has had to contend with dissenting voices from the stands for the first time during his three-year spell in charge at Fir Park.

An embarrassing Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Albion Rovers and back-to-back home thrashings by Dundee United and Celtic have led to rumblings of discontent. But Ramsden believes it’s the guys on the park rather than the man in the dugout who are culpable for Well’s poor form.

Ramsden said: “The majority of criticism should be directed at us.

“The preparation and the tactics haven’t changed even in the slightest since I’ve been at the club.

“The manager can only do so much, work with us all week and pick the team.

“As soon as we walk over the white line it is up to us and the majority of us can say we have under-performed this season.

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall (Image: Bill Murray/SNS Group)

“I would say to them that if anyone deserves flak it is the players. It is now up to us to get the faith back by showing what it means to play for the club.”

Motherwell have lost five of their last seven matches but will look to get back on track in Dingwall this afternoon.

Ramsden accepts dressing-room morale has taken a battering in the last fortnight.

However, he is hoping the home truths spoken by skipper Keith Lasley in the wake of the Celtic mauling can help trigger a desperately needed response.

He said: “We had a long chat after the Celtic match and people put their opinions across as to what was going wrong.

“Hopefully we can show some character and bounce back.

“We have a lot of experienced pros in the dressing room. At the majority of clubs it is the senior pros who do most of the talking.

“Keith, who is our captain, definitely made us aware of where we are going wrong and what we need to do moving forward.”

Ramsden is one of a number of Well players who have been struck down with a virus this week.

McCall revealed preparations for the game in Dingwall have hardly been ideal after he was forced to send several of his first-team squad home from training.

The Fir Park boss also has a goalkeeping crisis with Gunnar Nielsen and Lee Hollis both injured and two of his three Under-20 players toiling with illness.

That should pave the way for Dan Twardzik, who was signed on a one-month emergency loan from Dundee on Thursday, to make his debut in the Highlands.

McCall said: “It hasn’t been an ideal week in that we’ve had a little bit of illness in the camp.

“Hopefully the ones who have been struggling will be available.

“Big Gunnar suffered a thigh strain last weekend but we’ll give him every opportunity to make it.

“And of the five keepers we have on our books – that’s two 16-year-olds, an 18-year-old and Gunnar and Lee – only one of them has been able to train due to illness and injury.

“So big Gordon Marshall (goalkeeping coach) has had to play in goal at the five-a-sides this week.

“He’s nearly 50, he started the week looking 40 and now he’s hobbling about like he’s 60!”